NHL notebook: Lightning’s Stamkos needs surgery, out 6-8 weeks

Just before puck drop in a matinee game against the visiting Calgary Flames, the organization issued a statement that said Stamkos will go to St. Louis for surgery to repair a lingering core muscle injury. His rehab timeline would have him returning to the Lightning's lineup in mid-April at the earliest -- after the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Stamkos, 30, did not skate one shift in the final period of the club's 4-3 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, then missed the Lightning's 5-2 defeat Thursday against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.

A 12-year veteran and 60-goal scorer in the 2011-12 campaign, Stamkos produced 66 points -- 29 of them on goals -- through 57 games this season, ranking him second on the team in both categories. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, selected by the Lightning.

--Chicago Blackhawks forwards Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith will miss the rest of the season with injuries, the team announced.

Shaw has been in the league's concussion protocol since Dec. 3 after being injured on Nov. 30 in a 7-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. In 26 games on the season, Shaw has three goals and seven assists.

Smith, 31, hasn't played since Feb. 12 when he sustained a hand injury in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. It's a back injury, however, that will sideline him long-term; the team said he is scheduled to have surgery on Friday.